PhD Position: Digital Privacy and Security

1. Introduction

Are you a computer scientist eager to strengthen the privacy and security of billions of internet users? Do you want to conduct research with real societal impact while advancing open science? If so, come and join our collaborative research environment at the intersection of web security, privacy and open science.

2. Job description

The Digital Security group at Radboud University’s Institute for Computing Sciences is seeking a PhD candidate to work on the NWO Vidi-funded Web Security and Privacy Observatory (WeSPO) project under the supervision of Dr Gunes Acar, tackling critical threats in online privacy and security such as malicious advertising, digital skimming and stealthy online tracking. By leveraging recent advances in machine learning and browser automation, the project aims to provide tools, techniques and datasets to effectively address these threats.

As a PhD candidate, you will play a key role in the Observatory, actively contributing to pioneering research with high societal and scientific impact. You will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other researchers both within the group and internationally.

Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You hold or are nearing completion of an MSc degree in computer science or a related field.
• You possess solid knowledge of core web technologies.
• You have solid experience in Python and JavaScript programming languages.
• You preferably have experience with building and using machine learning models. You care deeply about privacy and are keen to create.
• You have a good command of spoken and written English.
• You are motivated to publish at top-tier academic venues.

4. We are

You will be a member of the Digital Security group working with Dr Gunes Acar and fellow PhD candidates. Recent contributions of Dr Acar's group include the widely publicised ’localmess’ disclosure that revealed a global covert tracking campaign: https://localmess.github.io. The Digital Security group is one the largest security research groups in the Netherlands focusing on a range of topics in cryptography, privacy and cyber security. Tackling the societal challenges of security and privacy goes beyond just the technical field of computer science. Therefore, some of our group’s research is carried out as part of the Radboud iHub, our university’s interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Gunes Acar. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 27 November. You will preferably start your employment on 1 February 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.